'Callous' bank worker jailed for life after murdering new wife who discovered he was gay

'Callous' bank worker jailed for life after murdering new wife who discovered he was gay

A BANK worker has today been jailed for life for the "casual and callous" murder of his new wife, following her discovery he was gay just months after their lavish wedding ceremony.

PUBLISHED: 14:47, Fri, Apr 11, 2014

Jasvir Ginday strangled Varkha Rani to death less than six months after their wedding[PA]

Evil Jasvir Ginday, 29, strangled pretty Varkha Rani, 24, using a vacuum cleaner, before burning her body in an incinerator in September last year.

The former Royal Bank of Scotland worker was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years.

A jury had earlier found him guilty of murder, following a three-week trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

As he sentenced Ginday, Judge John Warner said: "It was a very cruel situation in which you put her.

"You have told lie after lie about a number of matters such that it is impossible to rely on anything you say.

"I am satisfied that you intended to kill - you are a devious, controlling man and a meticulous planner in a number of aspects of your life."

Judge Warner described Ginday's attempt to dispose of Varkha's body as "horrible almost beyond imagining".

He added: "You behaved in an unbelievably casual and callous way, with a complete lack of any humanity.

"No one who was in court to hear that evidence will easily put out of their minds, the image of her body being poked and prodded by you down into that incinerator."

Ginday strangled his wife with a metal vacuum cleaner pipe before forcing her body into a 22-inch deep incinerator and setting it alight.

Neighbours described a "hog roast" smell but Ginday told them he was just "burning some rubbish".

He reported his wife missing at 9.30pm on September 12 and police attended the couple's home on Victory Road in Walsall, West Mids.

Officers found nothing suspicious but, when they returned the next day, they saw black smoke billowing from the property and later discovered Varkha's charred remains in the incinerator.

He had initially denied killing Varkha before eventually admitting he had "lost control" and choked her to death.

The IT specialist pleaded guilty to manslaughter and a further charge of perverting the course of justice by lying to police, but denied murdering his wife of less than six months.

However, a jury took 17 hours to find him guilty of Varkha's murder.

CCTV images showed Ginday filling up a water bottle with petrol at a service station [NTI]

I didn't want anyone to know about my sexuality because I knew there would be a lot of issues surrounding that. I still wanted to work the relationship out.

Jasvir Ginday

The trial had heard how Ginday had only married Varkha because he wanted to hide his sexuality and not bring shame on his family.

He had been frequenting gay bars and having relationships with men around the time of his engagement to Varkha in 2012.

The jury was told Ginday travelled to India and met 15 women before marrying Varkha in front of 700 guests on March 28 last year.

Ginday, who was off work with depression at the time he killed his wife, said he had realised he was gay at the age of 12 but felt unable to tell his parents the truth because they would be "shocked" and "devastated".

Ginday told the court the couple had been fighting when Varkha confronted him about his sexuality after finding "material" on his iPad and iPhone.

He claimed his wife - who had recently completed a master's degree in science and information technology in her home country - had threatened to 'out him' to the community.

He told the court: "She said: 'I'm going to leave you, I'm going to tell everyone. I'm going to expose you to the community.'

"After that everything happened so quickly. We started to fight and I was trying to plead with her not to tell anyone.

"I didn't want anyone to know about my sexuality because I knew there would be a lot of issues surrounding that. I still wanted to work the relationship out.

"It happened so fast. We ended up on the bedroom floor. There was scratching going on. Then all of a sudden I lost control."

During the trial the jury were shown CCTV images of Ginday filling up a water bottle with petrol at a service station just hours before his wife's remains were found.

The court heard two police officers found the charred remains of Varkha in the incinerator on with a burnt skull with missing eye sockets.

Prosecutor Debi Gould said: "There was a skull staring back at them with missing eye sockets and only a few teeth.

"Pc Dutton was able to make out what was in the incinerator was a body and she was folded up foetal like."

After the verdict Varkha's cousin Sunil Kumar said: "No words can truly express the sadness and hurt my family and I are experiencing at the loss of Varkha, she was loved dearly by all, she had a great passion for life and doted on her family.

"Varkha attained a masters degree and was driven to make her life a success, unfortunately she fell prey to Ginday who had ulterior motives which Varkha would not have appreciated."

Detective Chief Inspector Sarbjit Johal, from West Midlands Police, said: "Ginday got married as a matter of convenience - he tricked a poor innocent girl into marriage but was living a lie.

"When she uncovered the truth he could not live with it and killed her quickly then tried to dispose of her body and her possessions by burning them.

"Had another day passed before police attended, Ginday may well have successfully removed all traces of Varkha.

"I hope that this verdict brings some comfort to Varkha's family who have travelled from India to see justice is brought for their daughter."